The House of the Rising Sun
by atticbetweenthestars
Summary: Dean Winchester got close to very few people in his childhood. This is the story of his friendship with a guy who could have very well made him into the man he is today. Non slash, unless you want to read into it that way.


"Wait, Dean, do you know if Dad is picking us up today?" Sam asked. His low-hanging backpack slapping against his bottom as he jogged to catch up to Dean. "I don't think I can handle the walk home today. My science teacher is giving us back those projects today, you remember, that 3D water cycle diagram that you helped me build? It's pretty big and I don't wanna have to walk a mile with it."

"I don't know what to tell you, Sammy. I've got somewhere to be after school. I didn't even bother asking the old man," Dean shrugged. "Take the bus home."

"I'd rather die."

"Alright, I feel you there. Can't one of your friends' parents give you a lift or somethin'?"

"Friends?" Sam cocked his head, and Dean sighed. He'd been hoping that his little brother would had made some friends by then. They'd been in town for nearly two months, and he was starting to worry that Sam would never really settle down at his school. He was still pretty bitter about having to leave the last school they'd attended where he had become quite close to his classmates. Becoming completely comfortable was a terrible idea, they knew this, but it wasn't normal to live like everything could all be taken away in a matter of seconds, either. Dean found a happy medium for the town of Clayton; friends, but none closer than arms length, and hook-ups without a string in sight. He had suggested that Sam do the same, but the 6th grader had apparently taken it as "don't talk to anyone because you'll just have to leave because life sucks".

"Whatever man, just go to the office when you get to school and give Dad a call. I'm sure he'll rush right over so you don't have to carry a slab of cardboard with paper raindrops."

They walked in silence. As they neared the nicer part of town, Dean noticed how the light from the slowly rising sun seemed to engulf the glass door belonging to the house on the corner, and that even the house itself appeared to be on fire as the sun gave forth more light. Its shingles were a dusty orange with dark red tips, and he wondered if they had done that on purpose.

"Where are you going today?" Sam spoke up.

"Just got somewhere to be, Sammy. Don't worry about it, 'aight? You worry about finding yourself a ride."

"Okay," Sam sighed.

Dean gave his brother a quick fist-bump before they went their separate ways, Clayton middle school being all the way around the corner. He then jogged quickly up the concrete steps, dodging groups of people sitting and chatting. As he entered the building, a cool blast of air washed over his body, and he shivered. It was early February, but the school didn't seem to have a great concept of climate control.

"Aye, pretty boy just quivers when I'm near," A voice called out from the hallway beside Dean, and he smiled, turning to face the boy.

"It's funny, I thought I was the one who had that kind of affect on people." Dean smirked. The boy chuckled and moved closer to grab Dean's hand, clap it against his own and bring him in for a hug.

"You're a trip, Winchester. You still coming over today?" He asked, leading Dean down the hall where he'd just came from. Edward sat next to Dean in Government, but they hadn't really spoken to each other much until the week before when Eddie offered to share his Ham sandwich when he realized that Dean didn't have a lunch. He was a tall guy, taller than Dean at least, with dark brown skin and hazel eyes.

"A'Course," Dean nodded.

"Good. M'mom said she'd order some pizza. Can't have a Trek marathon without pizza. Just can't do it."

"Cool. What's this show about again?" Dean questioned, nudging Eddie a little to remove his arm from where he was leaning so he could open his locker. "Somethin' 'bout space and aliens?"

"Dude, I don't even believe you," Eddie chuckled lightly. "I was raised on T.O.S and beer, and your bitch ass is over here reducing the magnificence Star Trek to 'space and aliens'."

Eddie leaned against the lockers next to Dean's as they discussed their plans for that evening and laughed about how neither of them had studied for the Government test that would be given later that day. They chatted until the bell rang, and the halls suddenly filled with other students making their way to homeroom. Dean gave Eddie a small nod before telling him he'd see him later, and going against the general flow of the crowd to his classroom.

His homeroom was the class he hated most. Partially because he was never great at math (that was a Sammy kind of thing), and partially because the teacher, Mrs. Herald, was one of the most boring people he had ever met in his 15 years on Earth. She was Latina, he guessed. Fairly young, but the bags under her eyes were heavy and took away from how pretty her face was. The entire time he'd been at Clayton, all he'd seen her wear were long skirts with long sleeve blouses. It made sense with the outrageous temperature both outside and inside, but with the bruises on her neck that not even her make up could hide, Dean wondered if the cold wasn't the only thing she was hiding from.

"Hey," the girl next to him whispered, tapping his arm. "Can I see your notes from last class? Doctor's appointment yesterday."

"Didn't take any." He shrugged.

"Why not?"

"Never do."

"How are you even passing this class, then?" She squinted at him and cocked her head.

"M'not."

* * *

Dean slept through most of the rest of his classes, and didn't bother going to lunch. He loved hanging out with Eddie, but he knew that if his friend saw that he didn't have a lunch again, he would offer up his. He refused to be the charity case he'd been at his last two schools; people always handing him jackets and canned goods as if he was a one man shelter. They gave him things for Sam, too. A sort of "help the not so needy and automatically achieve saint status". He could tell that Eddie just genuinely felt bad for him, and that he wasn't one of those people who just wanted an excuse for a pat on the back, but still. He couldn't bring himself to accept handouts when there were people who needed half of a ham sandwich a lot more than he did.

The test in Government ended up being a lot harder than Dean expected, and he knew for sure he would fail when he found himself not being able to even pronounce some of the words in the first question. Eddie, on the other hand, breezed right through it and was the first to finish. Dean eventually gave up and turned in what he had: two answers out of twenty, and his name on the top. Eddie noticed. Neither of them said anything.

"You ready to go?" Eddie caught up with him after class.

"Yeah. Your parents coming or are we walking?"

His friend looked confused for a second, his eyebrows raised and eyes squinted, but it quickly turned into a light chuckle. He motioned for Dean to follow him, and led the green eyed boy through several crowds of people, and into the parking lot. Dean assumed that this meant that Eddie's parents would be picking them up from there, until he found himself walking past the sidewalk, and towards a long line of cars.

"You really are new around here," Eddie said, shaking his head and leading Dean to a dark red car. "Nearly everyone has a car, or pools with someone who does. That's why the school only sends out like two buses, and it's packed with bitter kids who are literally only bitter because they don't have a car."

"It's yours?" He pointed to the car.

"Not mine entirely, but my parents let me use it whenever I want," He shrugged.

"That's, well, awesome," Dean smiled, throwing his bookbag in the back seat and hopping in the front after Eddie unlocked the doors. "So what is this, a '94 Limited Buick?"

"Close," Eddie answered, turning the key in the ignition and starting the car, "93. But you know your models, man. You any good under the hood?" He shot Dean a friendly smile and turned back to the road as he drove out of the parking lot.

"Are you?" Dean raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Well I guess we'll both find out the answer to our questions one day soon," He said, "You know Tom?"

"Tall white fella with the glasses?" Dean asked, receiving a nod from Eddie.

"Well, the dude's a total fucking psycho. I mean, really messed up. But his mom not only has a fine ass rack, but makes the _best_ cookies," He sighed longingly, "Anyway, he likes to buy cars for really cheap, or steal them, who knows. And then we all get together and trash the things, and see who can fix theirs the fastest. I'll take you next time to the opening of the games. You'll be on my team."

"Dude, that sounds awesome. I'm there."

"Not like you had a choice anyway," Dean could hear his smirk without even turning away from the window.

"I've got some tapes in there if you wanna pop one of them in, by the way," Eddie nodded towards the glove compartment, and Dean began searching through the sea of tapes. A laugh escaped his lips. Small at first, but it eventually grew into him laughing so hard that he could feel a sharp pain in his stomach.

"I miss somethin'?" Eddie asked, chuckling lightly.

"Other than you having an even shittier taste in music than my little brother, nothing," Dean said between attempts to breathe. "Didn't even know it was possible."

"That's some quality music!" Eddie defended himself, slowing to a red light.

"Uh, no. This stuff is for sissy's. What kind of name is Syd Straw?"

"Hey, you're shit-talking one of the best folk singers that the 80's has to offer. Tread lightly, pretty boy," He wagged a finger in Dean's face, who was popping in the tape as Eddie spoke. A woman's voice filled the car.

"Wait, Syd Straw is a chick?"

"Damn straight. One of the most badass chicks ever," Eddie said. He pressed on the gas when he finally noticed that the light had turned green, and they turned the corner into the rich area of town. Dean swallowed hard. "Dude, I remember doing those projects!"

"What?" Dean turned his head to see what he was talking about, and spotted Sam walking sluggishly on the sidewalk, carrying his science project. He didn't expect to see him, but the middle schoolers got out a full twenty minutes before them, and since he didn't have to wait for Dean outside the high school, it made sense for him to be on that side of town already. "That's, uh, that's actually my brother."

"The one that you claim has a better taste in music than me?" Eddie asked, and Dean nodded. "I gotta meet this kid."

"Maybe another time," Dean shook his head. "Just keep driving."

"Alright," Eddie said after hesitating a few moments. He nodded his head and made a right.

Neither of them spoke for awhile, but the sound of Syd Straw still filled the car. Dean leaned his head against the window and watched the shadows of trees flicker on the ground as they drove past a heavily wooded area. The next time he looked up, Eddie was pulling into the driveway of a large house on the corner of a street that read "Overlea St.". The house was huge, complete with a wrap around porch and a basketball hoop hanging above the garage. The shingles were a dusty orange color, with dark red tips. Dean smiled.


End file.
